Why therapy from home? Is it right for you and your situation?

Thinking about therapy? Why haven’t you started yet? Maybe you’re thinking that you don’t have the money or the time to search for a new therapist? Maybe therapy just scares you a little bit? What if you could start therapy without ever leaving your house?

There are many reasons to provide online therapy, and one of those is the convenience that comes with it. There’s always going to be days where we don’t want to leave the house - maybe it’s your day off from work, you’re exhausted from your week, and the last thing you want to do is travel to an office, talk for an hour, and travel back home. Or maybe it’s a day like today in The Netherlands - it’s cold and rainy, and the last thing I want to do is leave my house. I’m sitting on my couch, with a blanket, as I’m writing this post. And why am I doing that? Because the idea of leaving my house and going out in this awful weather is the last thing I want to do. So, if I know that I feel that way, why should I assume that a client would want to leave their house for a session? I think it’s perfectly okay to have days where you don’t want to leave your home, so my goal is to make it easy for people to still have a therapy session during those times.

Even beyond just not wanting to leave your house, there may be moments where you or someone you know feel completely unable to leave the house. It’s during these times where having the option to open up a laptop, pick up a phone, and have a session is important. By just having the option to still have a needed session, to still be able to have the support you need during these times, opens up doors for people who are too depressed, too anxious to leave their homes. This can give you the confidence and the support to get yourself moving again.

Then, of course, there is comfort. Now, being comfortable and feeling safe during a session is a total necessity in order for therapy to really go anywhere. You need to feel comfortable and safe with your therapist and in the space where therapy is being done in order to express what is happening in your life, to open up about the reasons why you have decided to go into therapy, and to trust the therapist enough to share more personal information. Whether or not you feel safe or comfortable with your therapist is a whole other discussion topic, but since this post is about home therapy, let’s discuss the importance of feeling good in the therapeutic setting.

When you’re first choosing to go to therapy, it can be an overwhelming and scary move - you don’t know anything about the therapist (besides their credentials, hopefully), you don’t know if you should trust them, and you’re probably going into unknown territory, i.e. the therapist’s office. Now, something as simple as feeling comfortable in the office space should be obvious to take into account, but I feel as though that could be completely overlooked not just by the client, but by the therapist as well.

For example, during my internship, we were given space to conduct therapy, which was an additional building from the university that had about 5 offices and a common space. Don’t get me wrong, my internship was a great experience and I am very thankful to have that experience where I was; however, the space was just… sad. All the walls were white, there was no artwork on the walls; very sad office furniture in the room (the chairs were an awful shade of green), a desk and office chair, and a whiteboard on the wall (this is actually really helpful for some clients!). To put it nicely, the rooms had no life and felt very sterile.

You might be thinking “okay, but it’s an internship, student counsellors, and at least the client is getting some help.” And you might be right thinking this, but you would be surprised how much this empty, lifeless room can affect a therapy session. Without any warmth or even any windows that lead to the outside world, it feels cold, dark, and sad. If you’re going into therapy to discuss things that are very personal, intimate, and maybe even traumatic, you want to feel safe in the space which you are doing so. This is where doing therapy from home can help assist with this feeling of safety and comfort. By the client choosing the space to have their sessions - whether that’s in an office, living room, or even their bed - the client has full control of whether or not they feel safe in their space. The client has more control over the situation, which can lead to more meaningful conversations and deeper thoughts.

Home therapy is a no-excuse therapy.

Contact me if you would like to set up a free 20-minute Skype or call consultation: https://www.therapywitholivia.com/contact

Or send me an email at: info.therapywitholivia@gmail.com